Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.2 Aspherical II, Sony NEX 7
I know, it is very small market, but first samples were delivered to USA almost a month ago, and I believe at least few samples should come here too.Why I am so eager to get SEL 3518 in my hands? Because SEL 5018 is very good lens, and from the first reports, it seems that SEL 3518 is at least that good, if not better than its longer brother.Meanwhile, I am preparing the battlefield for 35mm showdown. I finally acquired another rather short supply, but quite high regarded lens – Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical II.In my cabinet, few other 35mm candidates are ready for fight:
Minolta 35 f1.4 AF, Contax G 35 f2, Canon FD 35 f2 S.S.C Concave, Canon FDn 35 f2, Carl Zeiss Tevidon 35 f1.9, Zeiss Distagon 35mm f2 T* ZE, and now Voigtlander Nokton 35 f1.2 Aspherical II.
So, while I still have to wait for the main actor to come, I took few fast snaps with Nokton, just as appetizer…
And it seems, that SEL 3518 will have to dig really deep, if he want to impress.
I will keep all those informations and pictures of Voigtlander for the big showdown, but just fe to mention…
Nokton 35 is fastest 35mm lens for the FF sensor available on the market as of today.
SLR Magic 35 f0.95 and Mitakon 35 f0.95 (are they same lenses? because Mitakon is cheaper), as far as I know are designed for the APS-H size sensor. This doesn’t matter now, the same applies for SEL 3518, (APS-C) but if the rumors about upcoming FF NEX are truth, Voigtlander might become even smarter investment.
This is the second version of the Nokton 35 f1.2. Beside small changes in the barrel design, size and weight, new coatings were used and sharpness and contrast wide open were improved, as well as the rendering of the OOF areas, where onion effect was reduced (but it is still there).
It cost approximately twice as much as SEL 3518, but it is still much cheaper than Leica 35 f1.4, while performance is reported to be almost on par, or even better in some aspects.
Here are few snaps with NEX 5n and Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.2 Aspherical II. All shot wide open using Hellicoid Leica M to NEX adapter, that allow very short minimum focusing distance for the RF lens. (to about 25-30cm)
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| Sony NEX 5n + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical II at f1.2 |
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| Sony NEX 5n + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical II at f1.2 |
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| Sony NEX 5n + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical II at f1.2 distant OOF rendering |
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| Sony NEX 5n + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical II at f1.2 close OOF rendering |
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| Sony NEX 7 + Voigtlander Nokton 35 f1.2 Aspherical II at f 1.2 |
I am considering to buy SLR Magic for the battle too, but I would like to know if it is the same lens as Mitakon or not. If you know the answer, please post it in the comments bellow.
EDIT 31.1.13 – I finally got it! (SEL 35 f1.8) But I lost a bit of enthusiasm for the test. The lens had been already reviewed by many users and some professional sites… Therefore I might focus only on a pure comparison results.
Now I started to review Metabones Speed Booster and that rolling review will take quite lot of time. So, at this point I am not promising 35mm battle anytime soon. (Unless I manage to get SLR Magic 0.95 very soon after release.)
Its most likely same lens as its made by Shenyang Zhongyi, Chinese company producing OEM lenses for SLR Magic. Mitakon is most likely their own brand.
Just be warned that sample quality can be quite variable..
I am aware of the same production plant, but so far can’t find the proof that it is the same lens though. Price difference is over 200 USD and SLR Magic is officially not available yet. That confuses me a bit.
The Mikaton does seem very interesting to me, but I am quite satisfied with my Voigtlander 35mm F1.4; small and good performance.
I’m currently debating the SEL24F18Z – have you tried it?
Yes, I have Sony SEL2418. There is nothing much better at 24mm for the NEX. The only problem of that lens is its price and lack of Zeiss sharpness wide open. But it can focus very close, and it has great contrast, as you would expect from Zeiss. I haven’t officially test it, but it should happen soon.
Nice set of 35mm lenses you have , I guess that Distagon might be better the rest @ f2 , but nothing else can go down to f1.2. I am expecting my Nokton 35mm f1.2 in few days ( and 35mm f1.4 S.C. might be for sell). Cheers.
A zasielam aj pozdrav aj v rodnom jazyku 😀
Rado
Taktiež zdravím 🙂
In fact, there are some options how to get to 35 f1.2 and even bellow. All of them includes Metabones Speed Booster. That’s why I included Canon EF 50 f1.2 L and 50 f1.8 II.
But, CV 35 f1.2 II has its own character, and personally I like it. It is not a lens for test charts however, and it is one of the reasons, why I still haven’t published resolution results, as I am repeating tests to eliminate all possible variables. I send my CV 35 f1.2 II to local service to check for possible de-centering…